Relief Panel of Assyrian Eagle God
Brief Identification This relief panel depicting an eagle headed deity was created in 870 BCE in the Northwest Palace of the Assyrian city Nimrud (Kalhu, Calah/ Modern Iraq)https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322595. The panel resides in the Assyrian exhibit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York. The deity is said to depict a form of harvest or protective deity citing the bucket and cone held in its hands and its position following a sacred tree or the image of the king.. Technical Evaluation The panel is made of a form of Gypsum Alabaster and stands 232cm tall and is around 157cm long. It depicts a Mesopotamian Apkallu, human-animal hybrids with immense wisdom and power3 https://www.ancient-origins.net/history/banduddu-solving-mystery-babylonian-container-006341, this one with the wings and head of an Eagle, yet also wearing priest ropes and jewelry. The panel was rediscovered along with the rest of the palace during a period of excavations starting with Austen Henry Layard in 1845, in which the Northwest palace was found4 [https://www.ancient.eu/Kalhu/][https://www.ancient.eu/Kalhu/]https://www.ancient.eu/Kalhu/. The panel's carving was done with copper or iron tools, then paint after for added protection as gypsum is easily eroded by wind5 https://smarthistory.org/assyrian-sculpture/. This style of carving is often times citied as being adopted by Assyrians from their conquest into Hittite lands. Local Historical Context The Northwest palace of Nimrud was created by the King Ashurbanipal II (R. 883-859) in honor of recent military conquest in Syria and Lebanon along with furthering quelling of uprisings in Assyria.Ashurbanipal's military campaigns and brutality would become standard for further Neo-Assyrian rule, and would further increase the reputation of the might of the Assyrians and one of the largest standing Army of the Ancient History [See Clayton, Matt 2019,367]. King Ashurbanipal's building projects furthered the Mesopotamian practice of building great structures in order to gain demigod status[See Clyaton, Matt 2019, 367]. The city of Nimrud, under Ashurbanipal, was regarded as one of the most luxurious cities in the world, with a massive festival with 69,574 attendants and massive menu of food.The Eagle-Headed Apkallu panel acted as a show of divine faith in the reign of Ashurbanipal, as the panel its self holds script telling of the King's prowess, in addition to the Deity's nature as a harvest or protector deity, as the cone held by the deity is believed to represent an artificial fertilizer device a technique taught to the farmers of the Assyrians by these deities, who have now blessed the new King . The Apkallu is also seen wearing jewelry related with the goddess Ishtar(Inanna) due to her standing as a fertility and harvest goddess . World-History Context As the Apkallu is not solely an Assyrian custom, their presence is seen in many places in history before and after the Assyrians. A similar deities are citied in the Epic of Gilgamesh as the builders of the walls of Urukhttps://www.livius.org/articles/concept/apkallu/. The deities where also in a way exported to Archaic Greece in the form of the seven sages of Greek philosophy https://www.livius.org/articles/people/seven-sages/. However due the violent fall of the Assyrians in 612BCE, these panels where mostly forgotten in artistic terms. A panel of the deity is said to be referenced in the passage of the old testament, in which it is called "Nisroch" and it is in his temple that the King Sennacherib was murdered by his sons.https://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/assyrian-god-nisroch.html Bibliography # metmuseum.org. Accessed December 3, 2019. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322595. 2. Silva, Freddy. “Banduddu: Solving the Mystery of the Babylonian Container.” Ancient Origins. Ancient Origins. Accessed December 3, 2019. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history/banduddu-solving-mystery-babylonian-container-006341. 3. Mark, Joshua J. “Kalhu / Nimrud.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, November 30, 2019. https://www.ancient.eu/Kalhu/. 4. Museum, The British, and The British Museum. “Assyrian Sculpture.” Smarthistory. Accessed December 3, 2019. https://smarthistory.org/assyrian-sculpture/. 5. Clayton, Matt. ''Mesopotamia: a Captivating Guide to Ancient Mesopotamian History and Civilizations, Including the Sumerians and Sumerian Mythology, Gilgamesh, Ur, Assyrians, Babylon, Hammurabi and the Persian Empire''. Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 2019. 6. “Apkallū (Seven Sages).” Livius. Accessed December 3, 2019. https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/apkallu/. 7. “Seven Sages.” Livius. Accessed December 3, 2019. https://www.livius.org/articles/people/seven-sages/. 8. "Assyrian God Nisroch(Bible History Online.)"Bible History Online. Accessed December 3, 2019.https://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/assyrian-god-nisroch.html References